Activities at the March 18 & 11 Wednesday
Strategy Lunches chaired by Paul Weyrich of the Free Congress
Foundation.

New Act Would Transfer Funds from Several Federal
Programs to Local Classrooms

Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA) briefed participants on his "Dollars
to the Classroom Act," which follows up on a 310-99 "Sense
of the House Resolution" saying that $3.15 billion should
be taken from other programs and given to the states on the condition
that 95% of it is spent in classrooms. Contact Rep. Pitts at 202/225-2411.

Kyl Commended for Supporting Seniors' Rights

Mike Korbey of the United Seniors Association reported on legislation
introduced by Senator John Kyl (R-AZ) to repeal Section 4507 of
the Balanced Budget Act, which says that if a medical doctor contracts
privately with an American 65 years of age or older he or she
may not accept Medicare patients for two subsequent years. Contact
Mike Korbey at 703/359-6500 (www.unitedseniors.org).

Public Mum on Critical Issue

Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK) addressed ongoing Senate issues,
noting particularly that the Senate will soon act on the critical
(and expensive) issue of whether or not to expand NATO without
much public nor Senate debate. Inhofe expressed concern that a
decision of this magnitude is being made without much input from
the American people. Contact Senator Inhofe at 202/224-4721.

Save Social Security: Enact a Balanced Budget Amendment

Rep. Mark Neumann (R-WI) and Rep. Ernest Istook (R-OK) said
that the Balanced Budget Amendment (BBA) should be revived to
restore the Social Security Trust Fund. They pointed out that
the Balanced Budget Amendment failed by one vote in the Senate
in 1995 after several Democratic Senators who ran for office pledging
to support it voted against it. The Senators explained that they
would have voted for the BBA had Social Security been included
in it. Now, Neumann and Istook said, we can afford to include
Social Security, so Republicans should re-introduce the measure.
Presumably, these Democrats will now vote for it, which, when
passed, will assure that deficit spending ends (except in times
of national emergency) and that funds borrowed from the Social
Security Trust Fund are repaid. Contact Rep. Neumann at 202/225-3031
and Rep. Istook at 202/225-2132. (For a paper on the topic, "National
Policy Analysis #189: Save Social Security: Bring Back the Balanced
Budget Amendment," contact David Almasi at (202) 507-6398 or
go to www.nationalcenter.org/NPA189.html.)

Stanton Meeting: Activities at the March
19 Stanton foreign & defense policy meetings, chaired by Laszlo
Pastor of Coalitions for America & Amy Ridenour of The National
Center for Public Policy Research.

Administration Helps PRC

Al Santoli, editor of the China Reform Monitor, discussed how
U.S. government cooperation with the Peoples' Republic of China
is helping the Chinese obtain the military technology necessary
to swiftly advance their missile capabilities. He also discussed
other aspects of the Administration's China policy. Contact Al
Santoli at 202/462-6055 (www.afpc.org).

Top Cuban Assassinated?

Former Castro political prisoner and Cuban freedom activist
Dr. Emilio-Adolfo Rivero discussed the death of a top Castro official
in Cuba. Officially, he said, the death was due to a car accident,
but the Cuban citizenry believes he was assassinated by Castro.
Contact Dr. Rivero at 301-927-2167 or [email protected]
(www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/7988).

Problems With Iraq Deal

Dr. Neil Livingstone said that the Kofi Anan-Saddam Hussein
deal 1) Essentially means that it is okay for Saddam to have weapons
of mass destruction. 2) Will set off a regional arms race. He
also described Saddam's war crimes, and said Bill Clinton should
never lower himself to engaging in a dialogue with Saddam Hussein.
Contact Dr. Livingstone at 202/342-0309.

Bulletin Board: Activities, publications and
plans of conservatives in Washington.

Unions Plan to Spend $13 Million to Fight Giving
Workers A Say

The AFL-CIO recently announced plans to raise $13 million to
fight "paycheck protection" ballot initiatives and legislation
through a special assessment of member dues. If passed, paycheck
protection would prohibit unions from using dues for political
activity without the approval of affected members.

"Labor unions are supposed to represent the interests
of working men and women. They are breaking this commitment by
refusing to allow their members to make their own political decisions
with their own hard-earned wages," said David W. Almasi,
editor of the Political Money Monitor newsletter. "Polls
show support for giving this freedom to workers is as high as
82%. Unions have a duty to heed this message. If they do not,
paycheck protection can stop this abuse of power in the future."

Over 30 states are considering paycheck protection proposals.
In June, Californians will vote on Proposition 226, which bars
unions and employers from using payroll deductions for state and
local political activity unless they have prior, individual employee
approval on an annual basis. AFL-CIO officials say they expect
to spend $10 million to defeat Prop 226. Contact David Almasi
at (202) 507-6398 or [email protected].

Black Leadership Network Says: Put Quality Over
Color

"Character, standards and courage, not race, are the criteria
by which we should choose our school books," says Project
21 member Burgess Owens after San Francisco school board members
voted unanimously to expel classics by white authors (Chaucer,
Shakespeare and Mark Twain) from the required reading list. Project
21 members disagree with Oakland school board member Keith Jackson,
who charged that black children learn differently from other students,
and that people are tired of the "white, European establishment."

"It's just plain racist to 'ethnically cleanse' literature
this way," said Owens. "Quality books + quality courses
+ quality teachers = a quality education. If it does not stand
the test of being the best -no matter which race, creed or color
wrote it, we reject it." A collection of news articles are
available. Contact Roderick Conrad at 202-507-6398 or [email protected].

Senators Speak Up Against Proposed 1999 Budget

Senator John Ashcroft (R-MO) and other Senators held a press
conference April 1 to express their opposition to the 1999 federal
budget resolution. Ashcroft explained the reasons for his opposition
on the Senate floor March 30: "First, it increases the size
of government. The budget resolution recommends that the federal
government spend $9.15 trillion over the next five years. That's
a 17.3% increase over the previous five years... Second, it takes
far more revenue from the American people than ever before. The
budget resolution recommends that the federal government collect
$9.3 trillion in tax revenue over the next five years. That's
a 27.4% increase over the previous five years." Ashcroft's
remarks are available. Contact Jim Carter of Senator Ashcroft's
office at 202/224-6154.

Scoop is published by The National Center for Public
Policy Research to provide information about the activities of
the conservative movement. Coverage of a meeting or statement
in Scoop does not imply endorsement by The National Center for
Public Policy Research. Copyright 1998 The National Center for
Public Policy Research. Reprints of articles in Scoop permitted
provided source is credited. ###